Committee in brief

The Standing Committee on National Defence met on Tuesday as part of its ongoing study on maintaining the readiness of the Canadian Forces. The committee heard from the Union of National Defence Employees and the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

The Union of National Defence Employees’ representative spoke to their recently completed report based on their review of Defence Construction Canada (DCC), which found poor quality workmanship, duplication of services, and wasteful spending in regards to contracts for construction work at installations across the country. The report found that private contractors often had completed sub-par work that had to be re-performed by Union employees, and reveals over-billing for work performed — including the number of hours worked. As a solution, the union has recommended an independent audit be performed. Testimony provided to the committee revealed that there is expertise to perform many services in-house that are currently being privately contracted out. In relationship to the committee’s present study, the witness explained that readiness is the ability to get the right people, with the right skills and the right equipment into the right place at the right time. Adding that with a membership of over 700,000 employees; each employee provides an important function in ensuring the readiness of the Canadian Forces.

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada also discussed their report on the Department of National Defence that was tabled in November 2011. The office found that there was a large gap between the old and new contracting framework and recommended that all new projects go through the new contracting framework. The new framework is better able to mitigate risks associated with those contracts.

Members questions focused on the role of the Department of National Defence on the findings in the reports, and how the department has responded to the issues highlighted. Given that the auditor general’s report was tabled in November 2011, it was noted in testimony that it was reasonable to allow more time for DND to develop an action plan. Concern about the impacts of the findings on the readiness of the Canadian Forces was also a significant topic of discussion, including insufficient funding for long-term maintenance costs of equipment. The committee heard that no situations were identified by the auditor general’s office where the safety of the troops was put at risk because of lack of maintenance on equipment.

More details? Find out in the Alpheus Group Committee Snapshot. Same day overview of testimony, summary of questions & answers and highlights of committee decisions.

Coming up

The next meeting will be held on Thursday February 9, 2012. The committee will continue the present study. Expected witnesses include representatives from: Conference of Defence Associations, Conference of Defence Associations Institute, Rideau Institute and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives